Jolanda Neff wins Olympic gold after dominating the race from start to finish

Switzerland's Jolanda Neff has just been proclaimed Olympic mountain bike champion in an extremely tough race that she dominated from start to finish. Switzerland won all the medals. Sina Frei took silver and Linda Indergand bronze.

Jolanda Neff wins gold medal and Switzerland dominates Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Switzerland's Jolanda Neff dominated from the first lap when an unfortunate fall by France's Pauline Ferrand Prevot left her alone at the head of the race. From then on the rest could only fight for the silver and bronze medals.

The heat and humidity - it had rained a few hours earlier - took their toll on many of the favourites and made the track more difficult on the uphill sections and over the wet rocks of the rock gardens.

In the first laps, Great Britain's Evie Richards, Austria's Laura Stigger and France's Pauline Ferrand Prevot tried to make their way into the medal positions, but the Swiss team dominated from the middle of the race.

With Jolanda Neff going straight for Olympic gold, her teammates Sina Frei and Linda Indergand rode together for most of the race, alternating second and third place. On the final lap Sina Frei attacked to take the silver medal and Linda Indergand closed out the podium with bronze.

In fourth place came one of the surprises of the day, Hungary's Blanka Kata Vas, who had overtaken Loana Lecomte and Anne Terpstra on the last lap.

Spain's Rocío del Alba García finished in 26th position after getting caught in a first bottleneck at the start and having some problems during the race.

Results of the women's MTB event at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

1 SUI NEFF Jolanda 1:15:46 +0:00
2 SUI FREI Sina 1:16:57 +1:11
3 SUI INDERGAND Linda 1:17:05 +1:19
4 HUN VAS Kata Blanka 1:17:55 +2:09
5 NED TERPSTRA Anne 1:18:21 +2:35
6 FRA LECOMTE Loana 1:18:43 +2:57
7 GBR RICHARDS Evie 1:19:09 +3:23
8 UKR BELOMOINA Yana 1:19:40 +3:54
9 USA BATTEN Haley 1:20:13 +4:27
10 FRA FERRAND PREVOT Pauline 1:20:18 +4:32
11 NED TAUBER Anne 1:20:18 +4:32
12 DEN DEGN Malene 1:20:34 +4:48
13 DEN BOHE Caroline 1:20:57 +5:11
14 SWE RISSVEDS Jenny 1:21:28 +5:42
15 USA COURTNEY Kate 1:22:19 +6:33
16 MEX CAMPUZANO CHAVEZ PEON Daniela 1:22:50 +7:04
17 EST LOIV Janika 1:23:17 +7:31
18 CAN PENDREL Catharine 1:23:47 +8:01
19 GER EIBL Ronja 1:23:59 +8:13
20 POL WLOSZCZOWSKA Maja 1:24:25 +8:39
21 SLO ZAKELJ Tanja 1:24:38 +8:52
22 CZE CABELICKA Jitka 1:25:00 +9:14
23 ARG GOMEZ VILLAFANE Sofia 1:25:13 +9:27
24 RSA LILL Candice 1:26:20 +10:34
25 ITA LECHNER Eva 1:26:26 +10:40
26 ESP GARCIA MARTINEZ Rocio del Alba 1:26:32 +10:46
27 POR QUEIROS Raquel 1:27:46 +12:00
28 AUS McCONNELL Rebecca 1:30:29 +14:43
29 CAN SMITH Haley-1LAP
30 ROC KIRSANOVA Viktoria -1LAP
31 USA HUCK Erin -1LAP
32 GER BRANDAU Elisabeth -1LAP
33 BEL MICHIELS Githa -2LAP
34 CHN YAO Bianwa -2LAP
35 BRA MOURAO Jaqueline -2LAP
36 NAM VORSTER Michelle -3LAP
37 JPN IMAI Miho -3LAP
DNF AUT STIGGER Laura

Live broadcast of the women's race

Switzerland wins all medals

Sina Frei takes the silver medal and Linda Indergand the bronze medal.

09:16 JOLANDA NEFF OLYMPIC CHAMPION

09:15 Sina Frei opens a gap to avoid the sprint

Sina Frei already in second place with a slight lead.

09:13 Hungary's Blanka Kata Vas attacks for fourth place

Hungarian cyclist Blanka Kata Vas has just attacked Anne Terpstra and Loana Lecomte to take fourth place.

09:09 Sina Frei goes for the silver

Switzerland's Sina Frei has just launched an attack to take off her team-mate Linda Indergand.

09:04 Lecomte fourth more than 2 minutes behind

Frenchwoman Loana Lecomte is fourth, more than 2 minutes behind Jolanda. The race is being physically very hard because of the heat and humidity conditions.

 

09:01 Last lap bell and Jolanda Neff straight to Olympic gold

The bell rings for the last lap and Jolanda Neff is still leading the race with a 1:27 lead over the chasing group.

08:59 Total Swiss dominance

The Swiss team could take all three medals if they finish like this. Jolanda Neff gold and silver and bronze for Linda Indergand and Sina Frei.

08:54 Jolanda Neff remains unreachable

Switzerland's Jolanda Neff continues to lead with great authority and is more than a minute ahead on the penultimate lap. Her teammates Sina Frei and Linda Indergand are chasing her.

08:51 Pauline Ferrand Prevot is weakening

The humidity and heat could be causing a drop in several riders 50 minutes into the race. French rider Pauline Ferrand Prevot has fallen off the pace and is now well behind the front runners.

08:46 Laura Stigger withdraws

Austrian Laura Stigger withdraws after being a leading protagonist at the start of the race.

08:42 Problems for Rocío García

Spain's Rocío del Alba García had a problem, apparently with her shoe, when she was in 29th position.

08:38 Jolanda Neff already has 1 minute lead

At the first timed pass on lap 3, Switzerland's Jolanda Neff is already one minute ahead of the first pursuer, Pauline Ferrand Prevot. 

08:36 Bad sensations from Loana Lecomte

The favourite Loana Lecomte has only led the race on the start stretch and from then on she has remained in the background. She is now more than 1 minute behind the race leader and we have seen her with some mechanical problems.

08:33 Lap 3 and Jolanda Neff is still in the lead

Pauline Ferrand Prevot's attack has helped her to take second place and cut some time with Jolanda Neff. Even so, the Swiss is 46 seconds ahead of the Frenchwoman. Behind the Swiss Sina Frei and Linda Indergand at 56 seconds.

08:31 Pauline strikes back

France's Pauline Ferrand Prevot attacks to take second place.

08:24 Jolanda Neff solid in front, Sina Frei leading the chase

Switzerland's Jolanda Neff continues to lead the race alone with no ups and downs, 47 seconds behind her compatriot Sina Frei has launched a change of pace that only Evie Richards has joined. Both will try to reach Jolanda.

08:20 Rocío del Alba García in position 31

Spain's Rocío del Alba García may have been caught in the starting gate and is currently in 31st position, 3 minutes behind the race leader.

08:17 Lap 2. Jolanda Neff opens a 20 second gap

Switzerland's Jolanda Neff continues to accelerate and by lap 2 is already 20 seconds ahead of the chasing group led by Great Britain's Evie Richards.

08:11 Pauline falls, Jolanda Neff goes solo

The wet uphill sections in the middle of the slope meant that the riders had to put their feet down. In a rocky uphill section Pauline Ferrand Prevot falls and Jolanda Neff takes advantage to open up a gap.

08:08 Jolanda Neff attacks

Switzerland's Jolanda Neff tries a change of pace on lap 1, but fails to open up a gap, although she takes the lead of the race.

08:04 Favourites group together

The opening loop ends and lap 1 starts with Stigger and Lecomte in the lead. Switzerland's Linda Indergand and Jolanda Neff, and France's Pauline Ferrand Prevot are grouped together a few metres after crossing the finish line. Spain's Rocío del Alba had to be left far behind at the start.

08:00 Fast start and Loana Lecomte first

Frenchwoman Loana Lecomte didn't wait and we can say that she attacked from the very start line, even so, ahead of her, Austrian Laura Stigger took the lead of the race. The first rockgarden creates an important bottleneck in the middle of the peloton.

07:55 Ready for the start of the race

It rained in Tokyo hours before the start and the track is wet. Pauline Ferrand Prevot, Loana Lecomte, and Kate Courtney start from the front row, while Jenny Rissveds or Laura Stigger will start from the second row. Spain's Rocio del Alba Garcia starts from the third row.